Former Larut PPBM secretary Shafie Mohd Khairy said they made the decision after realising that PPBM cannot champion the cause of the Malays and only fight for the interest of individuals in the party.

"We no longer believe in state PPBM chairman Ahmad Faizal Azumu's leadership, as his appointment was made based on DAP influence.

"We do not want to be with a party that supports DAP. Should the opposition coalition rule this country, the Menteri Besar would be from DAP," he told a press conference here today.

Shafie also claimed that Larut PPBM never bothered about problems faced by its members.

"We have come to this decision as we believe no other party except Umno is sincere in fighting for the Malays,” he said, rejecting claims that their decision to join Umno was prompted by ‘rewards’, as claimed by the opposition.

Meanwhile, Hamzah who is also Umno Supreme Council member, said Umno’s doors remain open to anyone who wishes to uphold religion, race and country.

"They (the ex-PPBM members) finally realised that PPBM doesn’t champion their cause. I believe there will be more members from the opposition who will be rejoining Umno," he said.